All posts tagged: Vintage Jewelry

This month I’m bring out all of the deliciously delicate silk and linen and cotton that’s been hidden away at the back of my closet since last September. Hallelujah. Come the first of June I always begin to itch for more sunshine (Vitamin D deficiency or no?) and always start to pencil in long summer nights out, wearing the sexier pieces in my closet. Striking a balance between looking good and feeling comfortable is easy enough, so long as I rely on a summer skin secret my mom shared long ago: When you’re getting dressed and it’s dripping-humid-mid-summer-in-Georgia-hot out: Show off one feature, play down the rest.

September 19, 2015, I got to marry my best friend. As the cool air of fall rushes in all at once we are still basking in that golden light of remarkable love, kindness, and joy felt all around on our wedding day. A thousand different things didn’t go as planned and yet, as always, fate forms reality far better than we could ever dream it. Like that Pynchon quote, every cup of tea was perfect.

My dear aunt recently confided that her favorite weddings are the kind where the groom is in his Sunday best, bride in her favorite hat, photos by the family fireplace, reception in the backyard – and you can’t shut the honeymoon suitcases because they’re stuffed so full with the money everyone saved by having a pragmatic little wedding. And yes, a beautiful city hall wedding runs you $50. And yes, that leaves an enormous gap to arrive at the median US wedding cost of $20,000 – and an even larger one to hit the $30,000 national average. Throw in a 150 person guest list and having your big day in a big city on a Saturday in September, and you may start to see why this time last year, wedding estimates closer to six figures than four were totally. freaking. me. out. A LITTLE PRE-PLANNING Then I did three really important things. First, I got my hands on this wedding planning bible. A Practical Wedding will reframe how you think about your engagement and celebrating …

Interview: #StyleStories15 Feb 16, 2015 A brilliant idea coinciding with New York Fashion Week, #stylestories15 highlights good style that’s working for good: outfits created from ethical and sustainable finds from around the world. A couple of weeks ago I was invited to participate by my friend Malorie of The Ethical Writers Coalition, and as promised, Rose & Fig’s feature is now up. I’m sharing my favorite places to shop sustainably, details on my thrifted and vintage outfit, and what influences my personal style: Interview right this way, or read below: 1. Tell us about your outfit: who made it and why do you love it? As with most of my outfits, this one is a comfortable blend of favorite second-hand finds. The whole thing is thrifted, from the Louboutins (found on Tradesy), to the Phillip Lim bag (from eBay), to remaining bits picked up at a favorite charity shop: a Saks Fifth wool jacket, Joie Pants, Charter Club button down, Moda International sweater, and vintage sunglasses and jewelry. My engagement ring is an estate piece …

These are outfits I wore the first summer after I set out to whittle down my wardrobe. Here’s what the fall and winter and spring before looked like. Here’s what my wardrobe looks like nowadays. And here’s an interview on my year of buying nothing new. SCAD Museum of Art Apr 29, 2014 “I recall my fleeting instants in Savannah as the taste of a cup charged to the brim.” -Henry James For me Savannah, Georgia is like an old friend: Eternally warm and at the ready for a leisurely walk, ever armed with good stories and a cool gin and tonic. It’s been two summers too long since we last visited, and this past weekend Mr. Ralston and I had a few hours to stroll the cobblestone streets. Favorites: SCAD Museum of Art I’m in love with everything about this museum, from the lake-drenched c-prints and Boschian collages, to the antebellum architectural heritage and clean concrete expansion, to the pared down landscaping and the illy issimo miscela espresso in the petite museum café. Leopold’s …

New job, new house, new clothes… It was May 2012 and as mortar boards glided like confetti in the air, another product designer was minted. For commencement I’d paired a sweet little cream dress (that had rested quietly in my closet in the eight years since my first high school dance) with a pair of second-hand shoes I’d worked forever to afford from eBayer distinctivecouture: Christian Louboutin Simple Pumps in jet black Napa leather.